MECHANICSVILLE WOMAN SENTENCED FEDERALLY TO THREE YEARS FOR EMBEZZLEMENT

( Richmond, VA) – Maria E. Banks, age 59, of Mechanicsville, Virginia, was sentenced today to three years of imprisonment for embezzling over $600,000.00 from her employer during the last eight years. She was also sentenced to five years of supervised release and ordered to pay a total of $667,309.78 in restitution. The sentence was announced by Chuck Rosenberg, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Banks has acknowledged that while employed at Energen of Virginia, Inc. as an Assistant Controller, responsible for payroll and accounts payable, she forged checks by signing the name of the company President and depositing them into her personal accounts. She then used the money for her own personal expenses.

The case was investigated by law enforcement officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Richmond Police Department as members of the Metro-Richmond Identity Theft Task Force. Other member agencies include: the Postal Inspection Service; the United States Secret Service; Bureau of Diplomatic Security, U.S. Department of State; Chesterfield County Police Department; and Henrico County Division of Police. Prosecutions for the Task Force are handled by the United States Attorney’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Colombell Marshall. For more information on the Task Force, including assistance for victims of identity theft, visit: www.richmondIDtheft.com.